D&C 110:1-16
Home > Doctrine & Covenants > Section 110
Previous section: D&C 109 Next section: D&C 111
This page would ideally always be under construction. You are invited to contribute.
Contents
Summary[edit]
This heading should be very brief. Click the link above and to the right to edit or add content to this heading. →
Historical setting[edit]
This heading should explain facts about the historical setting that will help a reader to understand the section. This may include issues that prompted the section, its subsequent implementation, and the extent of circulation through its first inclusion in the Doctrine & Covenants. Click the link above and to the right to edit or add content to this heading. →
- Received:
- Prior section in chronological order: D&C 109
- Next section in chronological order: D&C 111
Discussion[edit]
This section is for detailed discussion such as the meaning of a symbol, how a doctrinal point is developed throughout a passage, or insights that can be further developed in the future. Contributions may range from polished paragraphs down to a single bullet point. The focus, however, should always be on understanding the scriptural text consistent with LDS doctrine. Click the link above and to the right to edit or add content to this heading. →
- D&C 110:1: Eyes of our understanding. Joseph reports that these visions happened after "the eyes of our understanding were opened". This seems to indicate that for Joseph Smith, seeing a vision was something that happened in the mind, rather than with his physical eyes. He used similar language to report The Vision (D&C 76) and other events. While we sometimes imagine that angels appear in our world just like any other person or thing, a close reading of these accounts seems to indicate that there is something else going on--that angels and other visions only occur as the mind is opened so that spiritual things can be perceived with the "eyes of understanding" rather than our physical eyes.
- D&C 110:11: Ten tribes. According to the Topical Guide, the two tribes of the southern kingdom were Judah and Benjamin. Assuming Levi is being excluded (since Levi didn't get a land inheritance—reference forthcoming), and Ephraim and Manassah are both included, this would leave the ten tribes as: (1) Reuben, (2) Simeon, (3) Zebulun, (4) Issachar, (5) Dan, (6) Gad, (7) Asher, (8) Naphtali, (9) Ephraim, and (10) Manassah (see Gen 49 for a list of the promises Jacob gives each of his 12 sons).
- Although my guess is that this is the most common connotation of the 10 lost tribes, this begs the following questions: First, why is Simeon left out in Deut 33? Second, why is Dan left out of Rev 7?
- Bruce R. McConkie says in Mormon Doctrine (under "Tribes of Israel") that there's a Jewish tradition that the anti-Christ will come through the tribe of Dan (I think there's a scholarly reference on this).
- I added some notes on these latter two issues (mainly from the WBC) on the Deut 33:8 and Rev 7:6 commentary pages.
- D&C 110:12-13: Elias. See Who was the Elias of D&C 110? by Kevin Barney at BCC.
Complete outline and page map[edit]
This heading contains an outline for the entire section. Items in blue or purple text indicate hyperlinked pages that address specific portions of this section. Click the link above and to the right to edit or add content to this heading. →
Unanswered questions[edit]
This section is for questions along the lines of "I still don't understand ..." Please do not be shy. The point of these questions is to identify things that still need to be addressed on this page. Click the link above and to the right to edit or add content to this heading. →
Prompts for life application[edit]
This section is for prompts that suggest ways in which a passage can influence a person's life. Prompts may be appropriate either for private self reflection or for a class discussion. Click the link above and to the right to edit or add content to this heading. →
Prompts for further study[edit]
This section is for prompts that invite us to think about a passage more deeply or in a new way. These are not necessarily questions that beg for answers, but rather prompts along the lines of "Have you ever thought about ..." Prompts are most helpful when they are developed individually, thoughtfully, and with enough background information to clearly indicate a particular direction for further study or thought. Click the link above and to the right to edit or add content to this heading. →
- D&C 110:1. What does Joseph Smith mean by "the eyes of our understanding were opened"? Does that mean that these visions were seen spiritually, rather than physically? What is the difference between seeing things this way, and an act of imagination?
- D&C 110:1. How does it change our understanding of visions and angelic messengers to read that they are only visible to our minds, rather than our physical eyes? Does it take more faith to believe something perceived this way, rather than through our normal physical senses?
- D&C 110:11. Moses. Why did Moses have the keys for the gathering of Israel? What does that gathering have to do with his role as the prophet who led the children of Israel from bondage in Egypt, but not into the Promised Land?
- D&C 110:11. Ten tribes. Who are the ten tribes being referred to here?
Resources[edit]
This section is for listing links and print resources, including those that are also cited elsewhere on this page. A short comment about the particular strengths of a resource can be helpful. Click the link above and to the right to edit or add content to this heading. →
Previous editions.
- The oldest surviving copy of D&C 110 is __.
- D&C 110 was first published in __.
- D&C 110 was first included in the Doctrine & Covenants in the 18__ edition.
- The text of D&C 110 in significant editions of the Doctrine & Covenants can be found at: <NEED TO UPDATE REFERENCES>
- Changes to the text of D&C 110:
Related passages that interpret or shed light on D&C 110.
- D&C 110 is one of several sections that were added to the Doctrine & Covenants for the 1876 edition, along with D&C 2, D&C 13, and D&C 132. These additions cause the Doctrine & Covenants to begin with Malachi's promise in D&C 2 that Elijah will return and restore the priesthood sealing keys and an account in D&C 13 of John restoring the first set of preparatory keys, and to finish with an account of the fulfillment of Malachi's promise in D&C 110 and with discussions of the exercise of those keys through proxy baptism in D&C 127 and D&C 128 and eternal marriage in D&C 132 (further bookended by the Preface in D&C 1 and the Appendix in D&C 133).
Doctrinal references cited on this page.
Historical references cited on this page.
Other resources.
- D&C 110:11. Russell M. Nelson, "The Gathering of Scattered Israel," Ensign, Nov 2006, footnotes.
- "It is appropriate that Moses, who first led God’s children to the land of their inheritance, would be the one to commit the keys of the gathering of Israel to the restored Church. Moses had come to Peter, James, and John on the Mount of Transfiguration and there had bestowed upon them the same priesthood keys in their day."
Notes[edit]
Footnotes are not required but are encouraged for factual assertions that average readers cannot easily evaluate for themselves (such as the date of King Solomon’s death or the nuanced definition of a Greek word). In contrast, insights rarely benefit from footnoting, and the focus of this page should always remain on the scriptures themselves rather than what someone has said about them. Links are actively encouraged on all sections of this page, and links to authoritative sources (such as Strong's Bible Concordance or the Joseph Smith Papers) are preferable to footnotes.
